[{"id":351,"date":"2021-05-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/?p=351"},"modified":"2021-05-17T19:48:29","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T19:48:29","slug":"scholarship-recipient-jane-dewyea-university-of-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/2021\/05\/20\/scholarship-recipient-jane-dewyea-university-of-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship Recipient: Jane Dewyea, University of Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Center for Corporate Education is proud to offer scholarships<\/a> to participants interested in enrolling in one of our courses. One of our most recent scholarship recipients, Jane Dewyea, answered a few questions for us about her experience and advice for future participants. For more information on our scholarship program, visit the CCE website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your current career path, and how did you get there?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a B.S. in Human Development and a M.A. in Teaching. Late into my Master\u2019s program, I determined that classroom teaching wasn\u2019t quite the right fit for me. After graduating, I worked as a Substitute Teacher while working (internally) to determine my next career steps. I applied to the temp pool at the University of Virginia (UVA) and was hired to join a team of HR Associates to assist with the UVA HR Open Enrollment period. I assisted many of the University\u2019s nearly 30,000 employees with a variety of human resources topics including benefits, retirement, on-boarding, leave, and Workday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an HR Associate, I was serendipitously assigned to a workstation close to Dawn Ritterband, a Senior Compensation Specialist at UVA. I didn\u2019t get to work directly with Dawn much in my HR Associate role, however, I became interested in the work that she was doing in Compensation and was really inspired by her to pursue a career in HR. On my last day of temp employment, I gave Dawn a copy of my resume and asked her to keep me in mind if an opportunity arose with her team. A few months later, an opening for an HR Assistant became available with the UVA HR Compensation team. I applied and was selected for this role. Within six months of hire, I was promoted and hired on full-time into my current role as an HR Compensation Specialist, Associate.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How was your experience with your specific course?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a great experience with the SHRM prep course taught by Cindy Bullock. Cindy is a very engaging instructor and always had great examples from her professional experience to share with the class. I also enjoyed connecting with other HR professionals across the state every week to learn and share knowledge. I have continued to keep in touch with many of my SHRM classmates on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will your experience change or enhance your current career path?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned a lot about several HR areas that I had not been exposed to before, such as Learning & Development and Global HR. I particularly enjoyed the section of the course focused on corporate sustainability. I feel the material I learned while preparing for the SHRM-CP exam will enhance my ability to think holistically about employee situations I am exposed to in my current role. I feel that having obtained the SHRM-CP certification will show employers that I am a competent and committed HR professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What advice would you have for someone considering participating in a CCE course?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would recommend the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Corporate Education (CCE) without hesitation. I would advise potential CCE students to consider their career goals and how the program they are interested in will help them further their goals. I would advise students to explore funding options through their employer, professional organizations, or the CCE as well. I am very grateful to have been selected for the CCE scholarship \u2013 this scholarship made a big impact on my ability to take the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe a \u201clightbulb\u201d moment you\u2019ve had on your personal career journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would say a \u201clightbulb\u201d went off for me when I was working in my first HR role, as a temporary Human Resources Associate with the University of Virginia. I learned how interesting, and impactful, the human resources field can be. Before working in this role, I hadn\u2019t considered pursuing a career in Human Resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Center for Corporate Education is proud to offer scholarships to participants interested in enrolling in one of our courses. One of our most recent scholarship recipients, Jane Dewyea, answered a few questions for us about her experience and advice for future participants. For more information on our scholarship program, visit the CCE website. What is your current […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":697,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[28,29,18,90,30,89,91],"class_list":["post-351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cindy-bullock","tag-human-resources","tag-interview","tag-jane-dewyea","tag-scholarships","tag-shrm","tag-uva"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/697"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":324,"date":"2020-12-18T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/?p=324"},"modified":"2020-12-17T16:21:12","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T16:21:12","slug":"gratitude-interview-katie-fauth-office-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/2020\/12\/18\/gratitude-interview-katie-fauth-office-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude Interview: Katie Fauth, Office Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Katie Fauth<\/strong> is the Office Manager for the Center for Corporate Education. Katie has worked in higher education in various roles for 8 years at Longwood University, Randolph Macon College, University of Richmond, and finally VCU. She enjoys long walks on the beach, her family, and all things history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think back to March. What were your initial reactions to the news of the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s two weeks, then we will be back.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Wait a month, that seems like a long time… but okay, a month.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“June 10?! How are we going to do this?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has helped you cope along the way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting outside! I try to do daily walks while listening to the Office Ladies podcast. I also have gotten more in to my hobbies of soap making and puzzles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you miss about a traditional work environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing my co-workers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel you have gained from a remote work environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time and flexibility. Without having a commute and having the kids home all summer, I was able to take breaks with them to play a game, take a walk, or go to the pool. With my husband also working from home we are able to eat most meals together as a family which has been great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has your perception of online learning changed over the last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My initial thoughts on online learning were thinking how can it be interactive other than discussions. Now that we have been in it for nine months, I know that there are so many tools out there to make it interactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the CCE doing right? What can the CCE do better?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing right? Pivoting. When the pandemic started, we didn\u2019t just scramble. We carefully thought through how to make the necessary changes and quickly implemented them. If something didn\u2019t work, we figured out what would and went with that instead. We have figured out how to make online learning engaging and mirror our in-person classes as closely as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do better? Expanding our reach. We are competing with everything under the sun for people\u2019s attention so always staying relevant to continue to grow our audience. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel grateful for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My family, my co-workers, and time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Katie Fauth is the Office Manager for the Center for Corporate Education. Katie has worked in higher education in various roles for 8 years at Longwood University, Randolph Macon College, University of Richmond, and finally VCU. She enjoys long walks on the beach, her family, and all things history. Think back to March. What were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":972,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[18,86],"class_list":["post-324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-interview","tag-katie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/972"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":319,"date":"2020-12-15T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/?p=319"},"modified":"2020-12-07T16:28:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T16:28:23","slug":"gratitude-interview-carrie-hawes-associate-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/2020\/12\/15\/gratitude-interview-carrie-hawes-associate-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude Interview: Carrie Hawes, Associate Director"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Carrie Hawes <\/strong>began her career connecting employers to talent from major universities including Duke University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond. As the Associate Director of the Center for Corporate Education, she enjoys connecting professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to advance their careers. Carrie has an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from James Madison University, as well as a Masters in Education from NC State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think back to March. What were your initial reactions to the news of the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were running our first Mastering Management session on March 12th<\/sup> when the news started to swirl of the 2-week shut down. I packed up my laptop and a few things I thought I would need, including only one of my office plants. Little did we know we wouldn\u2019t step back into the office for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being on the job 10 weeks when we went virtual was a wild experience of learning a position and how to pivot it into a virtual environment. And now 7 months later I think we\u2019ve done a wonderful job of embracing flexibility and pivoting with the times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has helped you cope along the way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professionally, having a team of creative and adaptive coworkers has been a life send. We all are balancing working from home, parenting in a pandemic, and some of us are adding virtual coach to our plates as well. Giving grace and having empathy has been such an important part of our success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I am lucky to live near family who we formed a \u201cquaranteam\u201d with early on. Having that outlet is such a gift! I\u2019ve also gotten really knowledgeable about Minecraft because of my 5 year old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you miss about a traditional work environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hallway conversations! Being able to just pop between offices and ask a question, share some funny stories, etc. is such a bonding experience. Gchat and Zoom just don\u2019t compete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I totally miss being downtown as well. The vibe of being in the middle of campus just can\u2019t be replicated in my house in the suburbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel you have gained from a remote work environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weirdly, I\u2019ve gained time. While everything happens in one place (work, play, school, etc.) the lack of commute, day-care drop offs has opened more time for a morning walk, lunch with my kids, and mid-day trips to the playground if my schedule allows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My daughter had turned 1 the month before things shut down. Having her home during this means I\u2019ve seen her first steps, her vocabulary explosion, and other developmental steps that I would have given up to daycare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has your perception of online learning changed over the last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have learned so much. I think before COVID, I had a concept of online learning and thinking \u201cits not how I want to learn, just staring at videos seems awful\u201d. But I\u2019ve found that good online learning is thoughtful, interactive, and comprehensive. The flexibility of hybrid courses that lets you learn with others, then practice that knowledge in asynchronous way seems like the best of both worlds me. Being able to connect with learners across the country in our classes has been such a fun experience we never would have had in an in-person only environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the CCE doing right? What can the CCE do better?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are really making sure our courses are interactive and taught by subject matter experts. We don\u2019t used canned, prerecorded videos. Every class is live, with a top-notch facilitator looking to connect and teach our students. Our facilitators really make the content understandable no matter your previous experience with the materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m looking forward to seeing us expand our programs to fit more essential skill needs of a virtual office environment. We are rolling out a Managing and Delegating in a Remote Environment in the Spring and I\u2019m so excited to see the response!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel grateful for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know it\u2019s sappy, but our team. I feel really lucky to have a supervisor\/co-workers who get it. Who know what is like to have to juggle it all while still delivering top notch professional development opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carrie Hawes began her career connecting employers to talent from major universities including Duke University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond. As the Associate Director of the Center for Corporate Education, she enjoys connecting professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to advance their careers. Carrie has an undergraduate degree in Communication […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1153,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[68,18],"class_list":["post-319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-carrie","tag-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1153"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":327,"date":"2020-12-11T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/?p=327"},"modified":"2020-12-07T16:27:22","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T16:27:22","slug":"gratitude-interview-audrey-walls-marketing-assistant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/2020\/12\/11\/gratitude-interview-audrey-walls-marketing-assistant\/","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude Interview: Audrey Walls, Marketing Assistant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Audrey Walls<\/strong> is the marketing assistant for the Center for Corporate Education. She brings nearly 10 years of professional writing, coaching, and advising experience to the role, along with an appetite for all things career development. She holds an M.Ed. in Counselor Education, an M.F.A. in creative writing, and a B.A. in English. She lives (and works) in a small house with a lively assortment of adults, children, plants, and animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think back to March. What were your initial reactions to the news of the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, I was a graduate student finishing up my last semester of my M. Ed. program in counselor education, balancing my schoolwork, a full time internship, and continuing some hourly work on the side with the Center for Corporate Education. My plate was full already. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Leap Day, February 29, I attended a small wedding where the majority of the couple\u2019s friends and co-workers worked in healthcare. I remember during the reception, one of them pulled out their phone and showed us the headline that there had been the first positive COVID case in California. She said \u201cIt\u2019s about to get real, people.\u201d That moment was like the hairline crack that widened over the next two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has helped you cope along the way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am an incredibly empathic person and a story-teller by nature. So putting myself in others\u2019 shoes comes very easily to me. Early in the pandemic, this got me into trouble — by overempathizing with so many people I got unsurprisingly overwhelmed. But as silly as it sounds, I started seeing the pandemic through the eyes of my amazing Australian Shepherd. To her, 2020 has been the best year ever — I stayed home to be with her, she gets taken on more walks, more games of fetch, more treats and headrubs and accidental scraps of food on the floor. My dog sees nothing but positive (unless you\u2019re delivering mail) so I have tried to do that, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you miss about a traditional work environment? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I miss my walk to and from campus every day. I refused to pay for parking on campus, so I would intentionally park about \u00be to 1 full mile away from the School of Business in order to make it count. As an introvert, I had built in this time for my brain to wake up before I had to interact with other people. I could feel connected to the environment, listen to music, and just walk. It was almost meditative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel you have gained from a remote work environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time. Sleep. Flexibility. A whole refrigerator of lunch options at my disposal every day so I\u2019m not going out to eat. Therefore, probably money!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has your perception of online learning changed over the last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ended my graduate program right as the CCE geared up for delivering all our programs online and I could really tell a difference in the thought process behind each. For a counseling class, we usually spend multiple hours a week in class, talking, listening, discussing, role play, in group projects or giving each other thoughtful feedback. It\u2019s so much easier to do this in person, so shifting abruptly to online was a struggle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, at the CCE, we immediately started thinking about how we deliver online content in a meaningful way, knowing that it doesn\u2019t mean translating an all-day in-person program into an all-day virtual Zoom meeting. We added value and thought to our programs without adding clock time, realizing that learners crave interaction above all else. I do think online learning is here to stay and we will all be better for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the CCE doing right? What can the CCE do better?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I\u2019ve said before, we are an incredibly thoughtful team. We spend entire meetings thinking about ways we can make online learning and content more accessible and rewarding for our clients and participants. We\u2019ve also done some amazing things with videos, our blog, and our learning management system!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to think of what we can do better — instead I keep imagining what we could do next. In terms of bolstering our online offerings, I hope we will deliver shorter and bite-sized content that connects with users who may not have a half-day to spend on professional development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel grateful for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My CCE team. I have been with this office for nearly two and a half years, from quitting my full-time job and returning to school all the way through my graduate program and beyond. I cannot imagine having a better support system of intelligent, perceptive, funny, progressive, hard-working women.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Audrey Walls is the marketing assistant for the Center for Corporate Education. She brings nearly 10 years of professional writing, coaching, and advising experience to the role, along with an appetite for all things career development. She holds an M.Ed. in Counselor Education, an M.F.A. in creative writing, and a B.A. in English. She lives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":697,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[50,18],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-audrey","tag-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/697"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":316,"date":"2020-12-08T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/?p=316"},"modified":"2020-12-07T16:25:57","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T16:25:57","slug":"gratitude-interview-michaela-bearden-senior-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/2020\/12\/08\/gratitude-interview-michaela-bearden-senior-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude Interview: Michaela Bearden, Senior Director"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Michaela Bearden<\/strong> runs the Center for Corporate Education within the School of Business Foundation. In her role, she develops learning and development curriculum for clients around the world in leadership, management, strategy, and entrepreneurship. As an operational leader, Michaela helps clients assess their current state and identify incremental changes in culture, process, and strategy, to build a newly defined future state. Throughout her career, she has witnessed the benefits of empowering your workforce and developing your community. Dr. Bearden holds a Bachelors in Business Administration, a Masters in Counselor Education and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think back to March. What were your initial reactions to the news of the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be honest, I felt like we could see it coming \u2013 but my perception of how it would impact daily life was inaccurate. When the news broke that the US would slow and ultimately stop travel into the states from highly infected areas, I was in Africa. It was surreal to hear the news from so far away. With a long plane ride ahead of me, and some uncertainty to what I was coming back to, I spent time on the airplane thinking about our work and how we might need to pivot to remain relevant \u2013 while simultaneously thinking our shift would be very short term. Looking back, I\u2019m glad I had that time, unconnected, to process. Nine months in, and our short-term planning has evolved into a whole new way of conducting business<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has helped you cope along the way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a personal level, I made sure that I gave myself time and space to grieve some of what we\u2019ve lost and I\u2019ve held space for those around me that process change differently than I do. I am a planner, and I really enjoy iterating and creating \u2013 so while it\u2019s stressful to watch the learning and development industry react, pivot, and stretch \u2013 part of my coping is to embrace this opportunity to consider new ways to develop and deliver content. Change is a part of everyday and we have control over how we react to change. At the Center, we\u2019ve invested in new platforms and written new courses. We haven\u2019t only created short term solutions that will help us get through this crisis \u2013 we\u2019ve used the crisis to explore what our industry can do to be more nimble, more adaptable, and better situated to thrive in an ever-adapting environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you miss about a traditional work environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I miss the conversations that happen after the meeting is over. Some of our best ideas come from unplanned discussions and those are very hard to create in a virtual environment. I also miss my colleagues. I am so fortunate to work with kind, fun, and smart people \u2013 and I miss their energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel you have gained from a remote work environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have gained balance and space to think and create. My work has become less transactional and I feel like I have more time to think about how to help clients create sustainable solutions. I have more time to think about how our work aligns with the university. I have gained efficiency with less interruptions and the ability to better block my days for meetings and planning time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has your perception of online learning changed over the last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still like in-person learning best. As a facilitator who constantly adapts based on real-time feedback, online learning can be a challenge. However \u2013 I now know we can create strong online content, have meaningful discussions, and create positive change in an online learning environment, it just takes a lot of pre-planning and time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional development is not one size fits all and it is certainly not all created equally. There is great online learning, and really ineffective online learning. It\u2019s very important to research and use credible vendors and to know what type of online experience you are paying for. My perception of online learning before jumping into it was that Level 1 learning works. Online, Level 1 learning gets information out to a large number of people and then assesses their understanding of that information (i.e. a policy change). Beyond that \u2013 I didn\u2019t have a lot of faith in the online setting\u2019s ability to offer Level 3-4 learning. Now \u2013 I know it can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the CCE doing right? What can the CCE do better?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Center is responding with forethought and precision to a crisis that challenged every aspect of how we deliver content. Our approach was, and continues to be, a focus on how to learn from this crisis and create a better experience and outcome for our learners. Using that lens, each decision we make considers how people learn, how technology can be used as a tool to deliver content, and how to help learners navigate professional development and growth within this new learning landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For our audience, we are investing time and money in order to create an effective, live, online learning environment. We are taking time to adapt content and create a high standard of expectations for what online learning looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To manage our own business responsibilities, we are simultaneously looking inward to identify how to expand our reach, streamline processes, and adapt our strategy to be more accessible and effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To grow, we will need to continue to adapt. We will need to move beyond transactions and consider how to improve every interaction and build a reputation for being a strong learning and development partner both in-person, and online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you feel grateful for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opportunity to work with awesome people who lean in to new opportunities! I\u2019m grateful for my team. They juggle a lot and show up ready to solve complex problems and create effective programs; they are always looking to produce a better product. I am also grateful for our clients who said “yes” and piloted new platforms; it\u2019s fun to create with them. I\u2019m grateful for our facilitators who set lofty goals to deliver meaningful content. Finally \u2013 I am grateful to have the autonomy to pivot as needed to respond to our market. Our freedom to respond to an everchanging environment sustains us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michaela Bearden runs the Center for Corporate Education within the School of Business Foundation. In her role, she develops learning and development curriculum for clients around the world in leadership, management, strategy, and entrepreneurship. As an operational leader, Michaela helps clients assess their current state and identify incremental changes in culture, process, and strategy, to build […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":696,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[18,6],"class_list":["post-316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-interview","tag-michaela"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/696"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":284,"date":"2020-11-18T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/?p=284"},"modified":"2020-11-18T15:57:16","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T15:57:16","slug":"what-were-reading-with-ann-deaton-phd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/2020\/11\/18\/what-were-reading-with-ann-deaton-phd\/","title":{"rendered":"What We’re Reading: With Ann Deaton, PhD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ann Deaton, PhD, is a fan-favorite facilitator with good reason. She’s led some of our most popular programs here at the CCE, including Coaching for Leaders and Managers<\/a>, Leading and Developing Your Team<\/a>, and more. We asked her what she had been reading or listening to lately that keeps her informed, engaged, and curious for the next big thing. Here are her suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent Book:<\/strong> Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Editor-at-large and co-founder of Vox<\/a>, Ezra Klein released his book on media and politics in January 2020. Ann states that it helped her “understand some of the roots and costs of us being so strongly divided, as well as possibilities for creating more common ground.” Find it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must Read for Career Development: <\/strong>Harvard Business Review<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1922, Ann suggests a subscription to the Harvard Business Review<\/a>, for the breadth and depth of the articles alone. Get it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must Read Book for Professional Development:<\/strong> Radical Candor by Kim Scott<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, if pressed to choose just one book for professional development, pick up a copy of Radical Candor: Be A Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott. Find it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Favorite Podcast:<\/strong> Bren\u00e9 Brown, Unlocking Us<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A favorite podcast is Bren\u00e9 Brown<\/a>‘s “Unlocking Us”. Says Ann: “She [Bren\u00e9 Brown] interviews a wide variety of fascinating people, and has an open and engaging style that makes her fun to listen to. I always come away having learned something, and often eager to explore more.” Stream it online here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ann Deaton, PhD, is a fan-favorite facilitator with good reason. She’s led some of our most popular programs here at the CCE, including Coaching for Leaders and Managers, Leading and Developing Your Team, and more. We asked her what she had been reading or listening to lately that keeps her informed, engaged, and curious for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":697,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26,50,83,3,84,19,85,82],"class_list":["post-284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ann-deaton","tag-audrey","tag-brene-brown","tag-career","tag-ezra-klein","tag-facilitator","tag-kim-scott","tag-reading-list"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/697"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":273,"date":"2020-11-12T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/?p=273"},"modified":"2020-11-04T17:12:31","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T17:12:31","slug":"your-virtual-desk-why-a-good-learning-management-system-lms-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/corp-ed\/2020\/11\/12\/your-virtual-desk-why-a-good-learning-management-system-lms-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Virtual Desk: Why a Good Learning Management System (LMS) Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When our staff at the Center for Corporate Education realized that online learning would not necessarily be a passing phase, but the future of professional development, we made a strong investment in not only pivoting <\/strong>to meet our student needs, but improving <\/strong>on how we might deliver online content. With that in mind, we partnered with LearnWorlds to provide an online learning management system that is accessible, thorough, and easy to navigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you hear the term \u201clearning management system\u201d or LMS, you might wonder what it means, or more importantly, why it matters. Is it just a database? How can it enhance or improve my online experience in a course? We\u2019re here to explain both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n